Lost Shadow
by Autumnrainingleaves
Summary: A different twist to how Yami no Yuugi's time went in the puzzle. Rated for orange.


**Autumn: This is how I imagine Yami's time in the puzzle went.**

**Rika: M for a reason.**

**Disclaimer: Would I still be in school if I owned Yugioh? Nope. In school, no own.**

**The song below is Field of Innocence by Amy Lee/ Evanescence. This inspired the entire one shot. Or multi chapter depending on reviews.**

Lost Shadow

Darkness. Words with no meaning behind them bounce throughout my empty mind. I awoke just moments ago to nothingness. I stand and walk around. I feel the walls to know when I need to turn. Up stairs, down hallways, a maze surrounds me.

Cold. Chills cover all of my exposed skin. It is so dark that I cannot even see what I am wearing.

Why? What have I done to deserve to be trapped in this endless maze? Was I a terrible person? What did I do wrong?

Fear. Creatures of darkness follow me everywhere. No matter how fast I run, they follow me with their painfully sharp claws.

Where? The only question I can answer. I know for certain I am in a puzzle. Before calling me insane, when I woke up a few moments ago, all I knew was I am within the millennium puzzle. The millennium puzzle is my place of imprisonment. The only way I can be set free is if someone solves it.

_Impossible_

a cold, dark voice whispers.

"Who is there?" I call out. Even the sound of my own voice is new; a deep tenor.

Right from over my shoulder, it replies, _With you. _I scream. The evil thing laughs and tackles me to the ground. _It's not time to scream yet, my pharaoh. _

"Why did you call me that?" My breathing speeds up as tendrils of pure shadow trail new chills down my exposed arms. It cackles. _For reasons I refuse to tell. _I have no idea why I am in this dark place, my own name is lost from me, and this monster, who is sexually assaulting me, will not tell me why he called me king. Anger bubbles defiantly in me.

"Tell me or get the hell off of me." I can almost feel it smile. _Make me. _Claws once stroking me dig holes into my flesh. I taste my blood spraying as I scream. The monster likes it so he or it sinks the dagger sharp claws deeper and farther down.

"STOP! STOP! Please stop. OWW!" Down mixing with blood, tears fall.

Maliciously it presses its dead cold lips to my forehead. _Now why would I stop? Your screams are music to my ears. And your begging is soo desperate. _I hear its lips smack together. _Tantalizing. So dark, yet you are still so innocent. _If the creature does not get off of me, then I am going to die right here on the stone floor. The way it's on top of me is cutting off my air supply.

The monster relents and takes the pressure from my back. Deep nasty gasps of air fill the otherwise silence. I try to glare at him, but the oppressing darkness forbids me from seeing where I need to aim my glare. A cold malevolent laugh echoes in the hallway I am in. _A mere human trying to intimidate the darkest shadows of this world, Hahaha! It is priceless. _A chilling hand cups my face tenderly. _No sun child, you will not be getting your way anymore. _My vision has adjusted enough to see the being fade away.

"Wait! Who are you? Why are we here?" My call sounds pathetic to even me. The answer is only a slight cackle before numbing silence.

Swallowing, I press my hands to stop the bleeding and stand up slowly due to the hell fire pain licking at my arms. I yearn for something I do not recall. Something pleasant, warm, beautiful. A ghost of a memory plays throughout my empty hallways. A child's laughter bounces so carefree and joyously that my heart fragments into shivers of ice. I was once a child. As happy and innocent as the one I have no name for.

Name. What is my name? What am I called? Who calls this unknown name? Where is my family or do I not have one?

**I still remember the world**

**From the eyes of a child**

Yes, though faint, I remember once having beautiful innocence.

**Slowly those feelings  
>Were clouded by what I know now<strong>

Now I feel tainted.

**Where has my heart gone  
>An uneven trade for the real world<strong>

This world is terrible. I want out, but there is no escape.

**Oh I... I want to go back to  
>Believing in everything and knowing nothing at all<strong>

Even a naïve world is better than this dark place.

**I still remember the sun  
>Always warm on my back<br>Somehow it seems colder now**

I remember now! What I crave is sunlight. It was so much warmer than this icy entrapment.

**Where has my heart gone  
>Trapped in the eyes of a stranger<strong>

Who am I? This is not me, I am… no words. Nothing but blank emptiness. I am lost.

**Oh I... I want to go back to  
>Believing in everything<strong>

_**Iesu, Rex admirabilis  
>Et triumphator nobilis,<br>Dulcedo ineffabilis,  
>Totus desiderabilis.<strong>_

**(Jesus, the King of the wonderful  
>And the triumpher of noble birth,<br>The attractiveness of the ineffable,  
>All he desired.)<strong>

**Where has my heart gone  
>An uneven trade for the real world<br>Oh I... I want to go back to  
>Believing in everything<br>Oh, Where**

"WHY AM I HERE?"**  
><strong> 

**Where has my heart gone  
>Trapped in the eyes of a stranger<strong>

No one answers my cry.

**Oh I... I want to go back to  
>Believing in everything<strong>

**I still remember.**

Nothing. I remember nothing.

Tears from unknowing loss flood over my eyelids. Though I have not a clue what I lost, the loss of knowing cuts deep within my heart. Broken shards of glass invisibly cut me from within. I fall to the stone floor and weep.

_Why must you cry? It is your fault you are here. _

Fear again. I curl up in a ball to protect myself from the evil of the shadow. "I do not know why I reside here. Why will you not tell me why I am here?"

_A reason I won't share with you. _

It takes to shape of a human and sits down next to me. All I want to do is get away from this darkness. But I feel so alone, and weak. The darkness takes my head and rests it on its cold shoulder. _I need to give you a name. _I try to look at the being. All I see is a darker shadow in the complete darkness.

_No. You don't deserve a name. You can be Nameless. _

My heart shrivels at those words. Was I so horrible? The dark's clawed hand pulls my chin up to its face. _So beautiful. Those eyes are just dazzling. _Eyes? What is so special about my eyes? Before another question can bombard me, I feel chilled dead lips against my own. Alarm flares like fire within me. _Stop asking so many questions, no one here is going to answer them. _A hiccuping sob breaks out of me. I stare at the humanoid monster, the only other being I know, begging to understand something.

Maybe it is right. What if I was an evil person? I want to ask, but I choose safe silence instead. Without our talking, I can hear things moving around. Am I the only not shadow here? I stay quiet as the darkness strokes my arms again. My eyes close on their own, waiting for more pain. _No need to be so tense, I don't feel like hurting you right now. _I trust its words not, though I do not voice my opinion, the darkness could easily hurt me since I am being held in its lap.

Suddenly the shadow jerks its head to the left. It grabs me tighter and says _No, mine. _I whirl my head around wishing I had not. Another monster stood near us. It was a puffball of a creature with big eyes and greenish feet equipped with claws. If it had not been growling, then it would have been almost… Cute. I jerk when I realize I can see it.

_Go away Kuriboh, mine. _

'Kuriboh' seems to not like this response and hisses. The shadow hisses back and grips my arms tightly. A pathetic whimper escapes my lips from the pain and fresh blood dripping down my shredded arms.

A force makes my warden yelp and zip away. Hands that feel like my own help me to a sitting position. I squint and see an outline of a man in a robe. The staff in his hand gives off pulses of calming energy, slowing my heart out of its panic. He speaks to me, "Do not worry Pharaoh, for I am a friend." The puffball comes to my side and purrs against me.

"Friend?" Any trust I may have had is gone. I hate where I am. This is not right. Hate hate hate.

"Yes. I can leave if you would like." Too quickly I clutch his robes and beg,

"No. Please do not leave me alone." Fear. "Kri kri" the little monster says. It nuzzles the crook of my elbow, being careful of my wounds. A wet thing runs across the insides of my arms, making me jump. The other person here snickers at my reaction. A new feeling rises up, bringing slight warmth to my cheeks. Shame? No... Embarrassment.

The puffball licks my arms. I expected more pain from the touch, yet my skin starts sewing together after each lick. Once done, it looks me in the eyes, expecting something. I strain to remember a response.

"Thank you," I stutter. A slight disturbance tells me the other creature, or thing like me, sits beside me. He tells,

"The little puffball is named Kuriboh. I am known as Dark Magician. You may call me Mahad though." I nod in acceptance of his answer. Out of some unknown habit, I stroke the Kuriboh's scraggly fur, petting him. He purrs, letting me know he enjoys it. Something feels out of place. Sighing, I lean against the bone chilling wall.

"I suppose you cannot tell me my name? Or if I once had one." He puts an arm over my shoulder. Comforting I decide.

"If I knew, I would tell you. I do remember you once had a name worthy of Gods." Nodding, I accept his answer. I lean onto the other man and feel my eyes heavily shut. Everything becomes heavy and I disappear.

_I am floating. Calm and cool, yet not cold. Hands run through this new substance. Wet and clean. Immediately, I decide I like it. For long unknown amounts of time, I simply lie on the nice unknown material._

Reality. My eyes open again to the darkness. Everywhere is sore from being on the stone for so long. Luckily my head was placed in the magician's lap, keeping me from hurt there. Through the slight hurt, I feel pleasant. Rest. Rest. Something with rest.

Now I think of the material I was lying on. No waves or currents. It was not real now that I am lucid again. What have I done? Awake... Sleep. I was sleeping. DREAMS! I was dreaming. I like dreaming.

My excitement of figuring out must have awakened Kuriboh. He opens his mouth wide, revealing sharp teeth, then closes it back shut. I think for a moment. Yawn. Learning is fun. Mahad pokes my mouth, which is turned upwards. A... smile. "Did you have a pleasant sleep?"

"Yes. Thank you for not leaving me." Slowly I get up, taking extra care to feel the muscles stretch under my skin. Standing feels much better than sitting or lying down. More power it seems to hold.

Blindly, my hand touches the wall and I start down the hallway. "Where are you going?"

"I wish to better know my surroundings. You can come if you want." Majestically he floats with his arms crossed. He must be powerful, as that evil shadow has not returned. Mahad is very nice. Is that what friends are like? So many questions.

For an unknown period of time, I wonder around making turns and feeling as if I am upside down at some points.

What is time? There is no way to distinguish the difference of before and after. What has been done is done. No difference besides new knowledge and different amounts of pain.

Something interesting touches my hand. Instead of the harsh, scratchy wall, I feel a difference in texture. Smooth and round. I pull, trying to find its purpose. Nothing. When I turn the thing, a musty breeze plays with my hair. I put my hands out and find a hole that was not there before. Cautiously I walk in. A snarl sends me back out, Mahad laughing as he puts the barrier back in place.

"What was that?" I ask shaking, trying to find out something. He explains,

"You opened a door. Apparently, there was a fellow in there who did not enjoy your company." The Kuriboh makes cute gurgling noises, laughing at me as well.

"What is so funny?" A new voice says, coming from Mahad's direction. This voice is higher, less masculine. A girl?

"Our friend just disturbed one of his neighbors." Tiny, soft hands lift my arms and I feel her eyes bore me over.

"You aren't hurt, are you?" I can tell she is holding back laughter. I shake my head, accepting her following laughter. Real funny.

While they are back in control of themselves, the girl introduces herself as Dark Magician Girl. She joins in my exploration, an amusing and somewhat hyper addition. After a few more doors, I find a room I like. A bed is exactly in the center, soft and bouncy, letters that feel familiar are raised surfaces on the smoother walls, and a nice chair with smooth round or squared raised, no bigger than my thumb, parts.

I pull the blanket off the bed and wrap it around myself. Even though there is no warmth, there is something comforting about it.

Now when I am curious I go about, slowly learning my way around. I find to my surprise I can imagine the place I wish to be and be there. The room I call mine never being lost. The magicians and I become good friends. Speaking or being in another's presence. They help me try to find what I have lost. The closer I get to my misplaced memories, the larger the labyrinth grows. After many hundreds of dreams, I discover I can manifest objects of my desire. I spend much time making my room protected from the other shadow creatures.

I am very afraid of the monsters. They hold terrible power over me. The puzzle may follow my wishes, but these shadows hold their own agenda.

Slowly, I develop a personality, finding what I like and dislike or hate. One thing that is special about my companions, I love them. Love is a very nice feeling, better than any dreams I can conjure up.

Time goes by. I feel the outside world shift and change along with my prison. Not that I care, they abandoned me here. They can live without me. I can live without them.

Honestly, I fear I will never come out of this puzzle.

A new presence. Something dark and menacing. I feel him stalk through my place, looking for something. Stealthily, I hide in my room. No one ever remembers where it is, for I make it disappear from everything else and hide it. _Pharaoh_ it calls. Shivers run down my spine. I do not like this new being. How does it know my name?

The door flies open, hitting the wall with a thud. Fake confidence masks fear. "What do you want with me?" I ask, feeling slight regret at being so rude.

He closes the door and locks it. Fear returns. "Retribution." A word I do not know.

"I apologize, I do not understand." I back up to the furthest wall, not that far.

"Revenge. You need to pay for what you did to me." I feel his eyes everywhere. He walks towards me with purpose.

"I-I do not remember you. What did I do?" I close my eyes and turn my head from the predator. He reminds me so much of the first shadow.

"You killed me pharaoh. Though I am pleased at your predicament, I find myself wanting to punish you myself." He grabs my chin. I babble helplessly,

"I really do not remember. I am sorry for what I might have done. You can search my mind, I am telling the truth." I try sinking to the floor to maybe escape, but his giant hands keep me in place.

"As do I. You cannot defeat the God of Chaos again. Because you cannot die, I will take my fill and leave" **(1.)** A pathetic whimper escapes me. No idea can come to mind what he has planned. "I find you oddly beautiful. Though you are much more pale than I remember. Ah, now I have decided your punishment."

Those hands grip me tight, hurt tight, and throw me on the bed. Claws pin me down again. Evil and hot, something I haven't experienced in forever and a lifetime, his lips mash into mine. I do not understand this torture. Not that I like it though.

"No, get off of me." I try shoving him off, only pinning my arms betwixt us. A wet intrusion goes into my mouth. Hate. I do not hate much. Hate.

His hands start rubbing in what should be a pleasing way over my shoulders. I want him off. He growls and bites my bottom lip harshly. Blood immediately flows cool and metallic down my throat, choking me. He lets go and I spit defiantly in his face. An instant pain slaps against my cheek. I was hit.

"Get off." I growl. Laughter comes from him.

"What power do you have to escape me, Beautiful?" To prove his point, hands rub all over my chest. Something very bad is about to happen. I reduce to something I hate almost as much as this stranger.

"Please." Soft and winy. Self hatred. So much hate right now. My soft shirt comes off. I try to fight this, not liking it at all, but another slap makes my head spin. Claws lightly drag down, leaving no blood, but slight stinging.

I throw my fist to his head, but shadows laugh and grab my wrists, trapping me in scratchy binds. Another pitiful sound. Right now, I decide I will not make another sound. No matter the pain. He will not get that satisfaction.

He seems to grow bored with this and rips off my trousers. I am left completely bare to him. I gulp and clinch my eyes and fists shut. "Beautiful." I hear something light hit the floor, followed by another _cling_. Skin presses to my own. Lips move over face and shoulders in a terrifying fashion. They go down my trembling belly to... "STOP! I DON'T LIKE THAT!" Furiously, I try to escape the mouth around my private area.

He chuckles, sending nice electricity through me. Wrong. Very very very wrong.

I gasp, "Anything, anything, please stop." He ignores my plea and starts to suck. Much to my demise, a breathy moan escapes me. A skilled tongue runs everywhere. I tremble, not from fear, but from under his touch. No no no. Stop. My body is lying. Lies. Stop stop.

He goes on. Sucking harder and faster. My hips buck up into the wonderful and evil heat. He laughs again, from dark, twisted humor, and an explosion rocks through everywhere. Everything for a moment goes blank with the never ending good feeling.

Slowly I come down to reality. My gasps are the only sounds in the room. "Did you enjoy?" No. "Because it is my turn, Beautiful" Anything to get rid of you. I am moving this room to a place I will never be found again. I am terrified.

Something hard and slightly wet hits my lips. Salty and wrong. I open my mouth and allow him to slide in. Evil. Evil. Evil. Never have I experienced evil. Evil.

I lick the intrusion, trying to simulate what he has already done to me. The body over me starts rocking over my mouth, letting me know I am doing good enough. Sick and twisted and wrong. Hate.

He lets out breathy moans like my own. As the rocks become faster, I suck harder. This needs to already be over and forgotten. The other lets out a low groan and nasty and salty stuff fills my mouth. I lean my head to spit it out, but he clamps his scarred hand over my mouth. "Swallow it." He orders.

A sick and twisted feeling hits my gut. My head shakes. No. His other hand pinches the bridge of my nose shut, cutting off my air. Before, I have found I do not need air to survive, but it hurts like being strangled until I do breathe.

Slowly my lungs turn inside out. Burning fills their emptiness and my head. My face and eyes start to feel swollen. No. Not this easy of giving up. Pain. I do not hate pain, but now I find it cruel.

Like before, out of my control, I swallow his essence. Every damned drop of it. My mouth is freed and I suck in gasps of sweet sweet air. He watches me. "Are you done? I am ready to move on." More? What else could there be? This is the most belittling experience I have ever gone through. Not taking this.

I fly out of my bed and rush to the door. Ruffly, I get tackled to the floor. Smooth, pleasant stone. _Crack!_ My nose gushes out blood. It is clearly broken. His hot breath warns me right before he bites my shoulder. On my thigh, I feel his hardness. Something clicks. My eyes widen. I know exactly what he is going to do.

"Go ahead and scream. I can do this to you for forever, no one can save you." Not going to scream, I must escape. He punches my head again, making me woozy. Suddenly, a pain I did not existed burst from inside me. I scream loudly, making my ears hurt.

"STOP STOP! IT HURTS! OWWAAHHH!" I have never made such a sound before. All I have ever felt is gone. Only the vicious tearing and blood is what I remember. I think I hear him laughing. He starts a harsh pace, escalating my unending screaming. Every inch of him is felt and remembered and hated.

Moments later, he cums inside me. Anguish. Tears. I silently scream, my voice gone. He whispers in my ear, "I will come to you again. There is not a place for you to hide. I will find you." Softly he strokes my cheek, whispers again, Beautiful, and vanishes. Exhausted, I fall asleep on my filthy place on the floor.

_Hands all over me. Touching, teasing, hurting. Nightmares. _

I open my eyes to darkness. What else is there to expect? Tears fill my eyes and spill over. When I try to move, waves of pain wipe my mind clear of anything else. I just lie here and weep for all I have lost. I miss someone. Slowly, my mind becomes clear. I stare above, waiting for an answer I will never have.

The lost spirit lies weeping on the floor of his soul room. Though once a pharaoh, he has been reduced to below nothing. His loyal friends came, comforting him. He only whimpers and says nothing, for he knows nothing to say. Once again, he has been cleared of memory. Too much pain comes with the memories he is allowed to have.

Centuries pass, he still is curled in his once safe haven. For hundreds of years, all he has done is cried for the blind trust he once had. The teenager had every bit of innocence he possessed, ripped away from him.

One day, a moment in time like any other. He blindly looked around. Nothing to be seen except a faint outline of a magician clad in purple robes. Though now the boy could not understand the words spoken, he understands Dark Magician is a friend. He listens to the comforting sound of his voice. For many hours, Mahad tries to get to his friend, but there are too many pieces to put back together. The growing labyrinth now has no boundaries and simply leads the enemy in circles.

The once pharaoh notices the change of voice and clutches the robes so he will not be alone again. Dark Magician gently touches his forehead with his mouth, making the boy jump and hit the wall in a blind panic. The monster looks sadly at his good friend from two lifetimes as he disappears.

Crimson eyes eventually come to focus. He wails for many hours at being alone again.

One thought must have gone through his broken mind, for a cold look entered his eyes. He spoke gibberish not even he understood and starts for the door. A deep breath and he opens the door to the outside.

Hundreds of monsters and shadows waits. They look hungrily and with hope for pain written across their eyes. For a moment, the boy looks quite frightened, having only memories of forgotten nightmares. He no longer denies his feelings of hopelessness. Acceptance gives him power. Power over the nightmares.

The creatures still get their way. They cut him, and hurt him, but Nameless does not let this crush him. For some reason, he feels he has gotten past the crying. Cold settles over his heart, making him cruel. His once pure thoughts turn evil as he imagines revenge.

As more time passes, he waits by a door always locked. This door is colder than the rest. Nameless waits for the door to be open to him. He is horribly curious as to what lies behind the barrier. The monsters decide they want him to scream again. Shadows grip his noncomplaciant wrists.

Claws slash at his now deathly pale skin. He does scream as his blood sprays all around him. Through only will, his mind does not shatter at the new onslaught. Before another slash hits him, he feels an urgent need to save someone.

A person is about to fall into a world worse than his own. The other being is pure of heart, non deserving of such a fate. A piece of his soul escapes, helping the man. And disappearing from Nameless's knowing for appearing good.

Nameless feels the puzzle moving. He is greatly confused by this. The shadows hiss angerly for a short period of time to the lost spirit, but for a few days to us people. Once the puzzle is freed from human hands, they go back to hearing their music.

When the puzzle is handled again, the shadows start beginning to leave, murder in mind. Nameless imagines a lock, as long as he is in his prison, the shadows cannot escape. The very reason he was trapped here in the first place.

Something odd happens. A soft noise starts drifting over the spirit's ears. To him, the sound is of water running over rocks. The noise comforts him. He falls in love with the sound.

Cracks slowly appear on the door. The iciness melting into warmth. Now the door felt like heaven. As the warmth spread into the long chilled body, Nameless felt a great longing to find the owner of the lovely sound. It has taken him the longest time, but now he understands it is a child's voice which he has fallen in love with. Beautiful and bright soft light comes from this mystery child.

Nameless begins to feel thoughts that are not his own. Sad and lonely like himself, wishing for something he does not have. As the spirit slowly over the years learns the language, he feels his heart breaking for the other lonely spirit. A thought comes to his mind. Since he can listen to the child's thoughts and voice, the child should be able to hear his own voice. Not even Nameless remembers the sound of it. It comes out as a harsh whisper,

"Set me free, and you will have your wish." He feels surprise from the child. Nameless laughs at the reaction. The once pharaoh sends comfort and other forms of trust to the beautiful voice, trying to make up for the rather frightening voice he spoke with. When he feels the child's presence fade into dreamland, he decides to accept his past to help this lonely spirit.

Horrible screaming wakes the fifteen year old. When he looks around his dimly lit room, he finds no one there. Sobs originate from the nearly complete puzzle on his desk. Yuugi covers his ears to try escaping the dreadful sound. As the keening continues, he gently lifts the item. Only a few pieces are missing. "Shh, it will be okay." He says to no one. Faded hiccuping then silence. He sighs: Occurrences similar to this has been happening for too much for his liking.

Nameless watches through tears as the door loses the rest of the ice coating it.

"I did it!" The child exclaims, oblivious to the shadows stirring around his room. "I completed the millennium puzzle!" Nameless smiles at the child's innocent happiness.

He turns due to a mass hissing sound. All of the shadows locked in his puzzle were about to spring out the opening door. He shouts at them to stop.

Monsters surround Yuugi. Terrified, he yells.

The once pharaoh runs out the door. Now he is in the world of living once again. He lifts his palm, dark energy frightening off all the monsters, commanding with words hastily stolen from the voice's mind. He quickly goes back to his soul room, confused by all of which has happened.

Yuugi blinks, holding the completed puzzle. For a moment... no, impossible. Finding himself weak and tired, he pulls off his shoes and jacket and falls into sleep mumbling, "Puzzle, please grant my wish. All I have ever wanted... friends."

Nameless opens the door to find himself in a long hallway, the ends disappearing into darkness. Across from his prison, is a different door. It is slightly open and has light spilling out the sides. The spirit gasped. He could see! Colors and all.

Entranced by the beauty of the warm light, he taps across the hallway to the other room. Inside is a simple white bedroom littered with children's toys. Nameless smiles at the innocence of the voice he saved. He flips through memories. Yuugi. That is the name of his savior. He calls out softly, "Yuugi? Are you here?" Again, the dark power his own voice holds surprises him. A deep tenor.

A boy appears. He looks around with big amethyst eyes. When those huge eyes land on Nameless, the spirit falls in utter captivation to the other human. "Who are you?" How he wished he had an answer.

"My name I know not. I will tell you anything you wish to know, if I can." Yuugi thinks for a moment. His features soften.

"You are the one who has been crying for so long." Nameless looks to the floor.

"Yes. My soul room is filled with darkness and equally dark creatures. They have done terrible things." Yuugi feels his heart go to the stranger in the unknown room.

"Um, well you need a name."

"I have gone by many names. Only a few I cannot stand." Yuugi cocks his head to the side.

"Which ones?"

In all seriousness, he says, "Beautiful. I have been called it, and do not like it. I do not even know the meaning." The smaller teenager frowns at this, How could someone not like being called such a nice name?

"Okay then." He thinks for a minute. "How about Yami?" The other perks at this.

"Yami?" A blush spreads across Yuugi's face.

"You did say you were in the dark for a long time..." Now known as Yami, he goes to Yuugi and hugs him.

"I like Yami. Thank you, Hikari." The smaller's blush gets darker. Now the stranger was calling him light. He pats his back and steps away.

"Is there anywhere you can go?" Yuugi is awfully tired and more than intimidated by this new person. He actually feels the sadness and fear as Yami tells him,

"The puzzle. I can go to the puzzle." The hikari looks around the room. He sighs, knowing he is going deeper than he should.

"Why not just stay here? There's a bed and such." Yami looks at him with shocked crimson eyes. _/Really?/_

Yuugi nods. The voice in his head finally having a mouth to come from. Slowly the spirit goes to the bed and pulls down the covers. For the first time, he sees what he is wearing, a black tee shirt under a blue jacket and equally blue leather pants. Clothes very hard to remove from the body.

He pats beside him for Yuugi to lie down. At first he refuses, but Yami simply picks him up and lays him down. _/Warm/_ The spirit finally has the warmth he has been seeking and falls asleep clutching Yuugi. The hikari looks at Yami, who surprisingly looks very much like himself. He looks past the intimidating barrier and sees the broken child he truly is. He promises, _/Don't worry Yami, I'll protect you from the shadows. They won't hurt you any more./ _In return for this promise, the boy's darkness gives him the friends he asked for, confidence, protection from evil, and a love separated only by skin.

The part of his soul lost years ago to save a man from the shadows finally back.

**(1.) Okay, seriously. The God Set was clearly disguised as his nephew in the movie, Pyramid of Light. I refuse to believe it was Anubis. **

**Autumn: Is it obvious I needed some angsty puzzleshipping?**

**Rika: Yep. Please review and you shall get another chapter. ... And that chapter contains a lemon. With limes.**

**Rika: Ten reviews asking for lemon=lemon. Ten reviews saying leave it, leave it. No one review, we go cry ourselves to sleep and story=unfinished.**


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